One more thing about the Portland trip. Gas prices. We are being gouged here in Bend, my friends.

Here’s the deal. On Wednesday evening, (9/7), I went to a Chevron near my house to fuel up my car for the trip to Portland. I paid $3.12/gallon for 87-octane Regular Unleaded. This was not the cheapest nor the most expensive brand-name* gasoline in town. The same day at another Chevron on the north end of town, I saw 87-octane for $3.19/gallon.

Anyway, we start our trip on Thursday. Gas prices had not changed significantly. The first place I noticed a price discrepancy was near Timberline Lodge. That remote little Chevron south of the pass (and this camera) had 87-octane for $3.02. This is usually an expensive gas stop, due to its location. I made a comment about it, and continued on into the city.

Once we were in Portland, I was shocked to see gas in the $2.75-$2.85/gallon range. When we left on Saturday morning, I filled up at $2.74/gal. Bend’s price when we returned was still upwards of $3.10.

So what’s up with that? We don’t get gasoline from the Gulf Coast. Our supply didn’t change. Why is there so much fucking greed here in Bend?

*I can tear your engine apart and tell if you’ve been burning shitty gas.

What a train wreck. I have spent the last week immersed in the tragedy/travesty that is Hurricane Katrina and the bungled recovery/rescue efforts. What a mess. It is a good reminder how insignificant most of our troubles really are.

My biggest question about the whole thing is as follows:

Okay, we knew this was a motherfucker of a storm. In fact, it was predicted to be WORSE when it made landfall. If that was the case, where the fuck were the buses and transport aircraft and such to evacuate people before the storm hit? There were several hours that the news channels were tracking the storm, outlining its severity, et cetera, and so why didn’t we do anything then?

I know that now, the biggest complaints are how the post-storm recovery efforts are being handled. But I think that overlooks what could have been our best defense against catastrophe - foresight. I mean shit - the President is “Mr. Preemptive Strike,” right? So what the fuck were we doing in the hours before?

I know complacency is an issue….people have a hard time believing anything is going to happen directly to them until it does, and this is an area that has been told to evacuate in the past because of impending storms that barely made a mark.

I know, I know, I don’t have any answers….just a lot of questions that no one has a real answer for.

Okay, I post this because of a letter to the editor I read in Automobile Magazine. (note: the letter is talking about an F-16 jet that was featured in the magazine.) The author of the letter was asking about the magazines claim that Mach 2 equated to something like 936MPH. He stated that he believed that since Mach 1 is equivalent to the speed of sound, Mach 2 should equate to about 1500MPH, since the speed of sound is about 761MPH.

That sounded right to me, so the answer given boggled my mind. Paraphrasing, the response read:

“A Naval engineer gave us that figure. Since the speed of sound varies by altitude, the figure given is adjusted.

What!? We have a unit of measure that varies by altitude? Yes, indeed we do. From the US Centennial of Flight Commission’s page:

The Speed of Sound and Mach Numbers

The following breakdowns have been generally accepted to classify speeds:
M less than 0.8 subsonic
M = 0.8 to 1.2 transonic
M - 1.2 to 5.0 supersonic
M greater than 5.0 hypersonic

I think we need a better unit of meaure than the Mach numbering system. I mean, imagine if the “inch” was tied to altitude. It would be completely useless.

What the hell. A unit of measure shouldn’t be tied to a variable.

/rant

I just read Dig’s quick post about Dubya’s press conference. And I must respond to the “tyrants” reference:

Man, to watch him (bush) just freestyle, since he definately seems to be saying right what comes to his mind first, especially with regard to North Korea, is terrifying. It’s caustic language, and he just sounds like a total cock as he lets loose his opinion. I’m not one that loves that North Lorea has nuclear capabilites. Of course, I don’t love that the US does, either.

I’m not looking for Cold War II. Nor am I content with the “we can shoot his missles down” scenario. Let’s please, please try to live like this is the only place we have to live. Don’t provoke the opposition. No nuclear weapons. They just aren’t a good idea. Doomdsay scenarios don’t sit well with me. I’d like my children’s children to have children. I’d like that for anyone who wants it. I know that is very unlikely, what with overpopulation and all, but now that I’ve experienced it, I know why we’re here.

I can’t imagine having Dubya’s disposition about conflict now that I’ve had a child. It really does change everything. But he has children, and he seems to think that as long as they get through their lives, everyone will be alright. It’s just fucking shortsighted. We really need to start thinking about the interconnection of all the people on the earth….about living together for a common good. I don’t think we all have to agree to make that happen. But we certainly all have to step down a notch or twenty-five, and think about our neighbors. Think about our neighbor’s neighbors. and on, and on….

so yeah, this may be a bunch of hippie idealism, but please. If we, as the earth’s population, don’t step back and evaluate our current situation…and continue to live propagating fear, we won’t continue for long.

yeah, it is about time I jumped on this bandwagon. I’ve been writing blogs probably since about the start of 04. When suddenly, political blogs were all the rage. However, I never used my tribal pseudomyn nor told anyone about them. I’d just start one, make it look kinda cool, write shit for about two weeks, then shut it down.

But I suddenly really like the idea. It was really strange, I just started a blog a couple of weeks ago, planning to really get started cataloging endub by endub. And one for Delaney. Then Cid and I were talking about blog software on the tribe, and the next day, bam, Cid had installed it. (damn yo, the keyword links would be a really nice feature.

I wonder now, since I have posted more here than on The Tribe (keywords, again), what will become of the message board? It must continue, because blogging has an antisocial feel about it, next to The Tribe. Don’t forget that, kids. It really started as just a way for Cid and I to talk to each other once 4096-bit encrypted emails lost their lustre. And now, we’re a family. How cool is that?

So I guess I’m saying, I will probably post mad more here than I do in the forums for a while, but don’t forget to keep going there, because it will continue to grow and progress. I always think posting shit like I’m writing right now is less tailored to a forums format than a blog. I mean, if you want to read disjointed mushy nonsense, surf on over and check out my blog. And if not, well, namaste.